Somewhere to Belong
by Kroissant
Summary: Felix and Annette share a moment together, under the shade of the trees. Inspired by lunachaili's picture of felix/annette on twitter


**Hello, this is Kroissant!**

**Starting tomorrow, I would be officially returning to my studies. Until that happens, I would like to post this special fanfic for a very wonderful person by the name of lunachaili-you may know her as the author of one of my favorite fanfics, 'no more tomorrow' and quite recently, she posted a felix/annette picture on twitter (if you can, please check it out! It's stunning!) Inspired by her contributions in the community, I wanted to gift her this lovely story made from scratch, inspired entirely by her picture.**

**Here is the link to her twitter for those interested to see the picture!**  
** /lunachaili?lang=en**  
**UPDATE: Consider this a happy birthday gift from me to you! Have a wonderful day, sweetie!**

**For a better experience, I recommend listening to a few studio ghibli music, particularly Howl's Moving Castle (heartbeat and peaceful thoughts) and 'We'll be Alright' by Randwimps (from the movie: weathering with you) as it beautifully captures the theme of the story.**

**Few things to keep in mind-the title of the story came from the soundtrack, Somewhere to Belong (with the ending/picture of lunachaili implying A Place to Rest), and for the inspiration of Annette's song came from Dear Evan Hansen, 'Hiding in Your Hands'-please listen to that if you can!**

**Okay, that's all for now!**  
**Enjoy reading!**

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Under the canopy of the trees, there sat a woman on her own.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, a sweet smile appeared across her lips as she motioned her head around to carefully examine her surroundings.

It was the middle of the afternoon, and after consuming her lunch with her friends in the dining hall, Annette excused herself to take a moment's rest, choosing to settle herself on the patching of grass in the empty courtyard.

A week had barely passed since their successful march to the Aquatic capital of the Leicester Alliance territory—Deirdue, and thanks to their triumphant victory against the Adrestian Empire, as well as successfully protecting the renowned hero of Daphnel, Judith, and the scheming ex-leader of the Golden Deer, Claude—with a plentiful of resources and allies on their side, slowly and surely, their main objective to invade the enemy frontlines and defeat Emperor Edelgard was coming to fruition.

In the coming month or so—the Blue Sea Moon to be more specific, under the orders of their house leader, Dimitri and former Professor Byleth, they would soon be dispatched to the Impregnable Fortress, otherwise known as Fort Merceus.

By reclaiming the area, their chances of winning the war would be highly probable.

Such a promising thought made Annette lengthened her grin.

The time of warfare was coming to an end.

And soon, very soon…

She chewed on her bottom lip, lowering her gaze to her hands resting on her lap.

The excitement drew to a close when realization kicked in.

That's right. Once everything was over…the friends she'd made over the past five years—ranging from the Golden Deer, the Black Eagles, and most importantly, the Blue Lions whom she perceived as her second family—the familiar, friendly faces she had become so accustomed to, begin to pack their belongings, leave the Monastery, return to whence they came from and move on with their lives.

…Leaving her behind, alone and possibly forgotten.

Flashbacks of her childhood regarding a certain individual came to mind, and just like that, Annette found herself drowning in the unpleasant memories of the past.

Of her locking herself inside her room and attempting to burn the wooden dolls her father once gifted her when she was a child, and with no siblings or friends to call her own, Annette turned to her studies in hopes to fill the emptiness inside…and having to relive it all over again, with the fear of her father, whom she had finally reunited with after so long, to leave her and their mother in the dust for the second time…it irked her.

It was all too much.

Annette closed her eyes, blocking away the world around her.

The boisterous blathers belonging to the soldiers and her friends inside the dining hall nearby, the chirping noises of the birds flying overhead, and the gentle breeze swiftly passing by—she ignored them all.

In a force of habit, she instinctively brought her hand close to her chest, shaping them into a closed fist.

Composing herself, she inhaled a deep breath.

Feeling a bit lighter and a bit braver, she pried her mouth open, and with that, poured her heart and soul into the song that came to mind.

**.**

**.**

**.**

After cleanly wiping out the rest of the combatant for this week's sword tournament, Felix announced his dismissal and left the training grounds in a hurry. Pushing past the large doors and into the open clearing, he forced his legs to keep moving, his eyes trained ahead with his destination set on the student dormitories.

Wasting no time, the swordsman quickened his pace, ready to crash in and sleep for the rest of the day, as what his day would normally be.

As he got closer to the staircase, he heard it.

Slowing down his pace, Felix motioned his head to the direction of where the sound was coming from. He glanced over to the dormitories on his right, then back to the ivy stonewalls. As much as he wanted to rest and call it a day, a voice from the back of his head was imploring him to investigate.

Twisting his heel, Felix headed straight for the courtyard and upon entering, was greeted with the sight of Annette singing one of her songs to an empty audience. Thankfully, the idle chattering from the dining hall nearby was enough to attract unwanted attention, though not so much that it would entirely saturate her radiating voice.

Quite pleased to be the only one bearing witness to her performance, Felix cautiously made his way over to her. This wasn't the first time he caught her in the act, recalling the first time he happened to stumble upon her singing in the greenhouse, and again while she was dutifully cleaning the library.

After all these years, he couldn't seem to stop.

Whenever he would find her singing by herself—he didn't hesitate to seize the chance to hide behind a nearby pillar or desk, all to simply listen to her captivated singing.

And once she was done, complete with a dumb grin on her face, and would walk away, completely oblivious to his presence, he would remain where he was, leaving him to want more of it—her songs, her adorable little dances, the cheerful expression she would be wearing on her face whenever she would sing, and finally, her voice—sweet and warm like honey, just like her.

She was a drug, and by chance, he became addicted.

And for once, Felix didn't seem to mind at all.

Captive or not, Annette had already won him over…and not just by her singing alone.

To sum it up into words, it was her whole being in general.

From her quirky personality, how driven and competitive she could be in her exams and on the battlefield, how compassionate she could be and at times, obsessive with her grades, and quite recently, her ability to equip one of the ancient relics which happened to be passed down from her family—the Crusher, and how easy she made it look to decimate five to ten soldiers alone while he could only do so one at a time…then, there was her smile and laughter, her constant struggle to put on an angry face, how puffy and red her cheeks would be, and her eyes, so blue and glistening—reminding him of clear blue skies, her cinnamon scent, and to glossy and irresistible her lips seem to be…

She was the entire package.

And almost every passing day, the foreign feeling inside him grew stronger, coming and going whenever she was close by…that and with the amusing looks from Sylvain, Dimitri, Professor Byleth, Ashe when they noticed him responding to her without a trace of a slur or rude comment that would typically flow in, assist her with her chores without arguing back, and there was that one time when Felix got caught checking her out…which was soon followed by Gilbert, who was quick to take notice of this and flashes him a glare whenever they crossed paths down the halls.

By now, everybody knew of Felix's obvious attraction for her except…well, her.

But with the war still going on, and their focus directly on the Adrestian Empire…his plan to propose to her would need to be postponed for the time being.

In the meantime, he would be here, doing his best to keep an appropriate distance between them, with her singing to her heart's content and him listening in and feeling somewhat at peace…

Halting in his tracks, Felix frowned.

Usually, Annette was eccentric and creative with her songs, at times sounding a bit offbeat but always keeping it consistent and catchy—a trivial detail he secretly found to be endearing.

But today was different.

The tune of the song was upbeat as the rest would be, but the lyrics…

It was depressing and heartbreaking.

And as Felix keenly listened to her lyrics, he slowly came to realize that the song she was singing, albeit the charming and jovial beat, was cleverly disguised as proven by the words pouring out of her.

Determined to find out the cause of her misery, the dark-haired man approached her.

Forget the distance…he needed to make sure she was okay.

Squatting to his knees, he studied her face.

She was crying…and yet, she seemed to be too preoccupied with her singing to take notice of his looming presence.

**.**

**.**

**.**

"…Annette?"

She stopped. Blinking her eyes a few times, Annette slowly peered up to face him. Glossy, cerulean blue clashed with worried, tawny amber.

"F-Felix?" She sputtered, suddenly recoiling back and raising her arms to hide away her tear-stained face. "What are you doing here?" Still high on frantic, she shook her head and in-between the tiny spaces of her fingers, shot him a glare. "Didn't anyone teach you about personal space?"

"I came because I heard you sing," He said simply, staring down at her with a passive expression. Becoming reminded of the deliverance of her new song, and how it pained him to hear her sing such a sad song…and how unfitting it was on her, who was usually so full of life—

"Annette, who hurt you?"

"What?"

"Who hurt you?" Felix repeated, raising his voice. "Tell me who did this to you. Was it Sylvain? Dimitri?" He thought back to the members of the Blue Lions, as well as the other male candidates they managed to recruit along the way and without a second thought, pressed on with his words, "Or was it someone else from a different house? Caspar, maybe?"

Annette looked at him as if he produced two heads.

"For goddess sake, they would never—" Annette furrowed her eyebrows, shook her head again and looked back up to face him once more. "No…nobody hurt me, I promise you that,"

Felix quirked an eyebrow, confused.

Annette forced a smile on her face. "Just plain old me being silly," She explained, wiping away the tears that were threatening to spill from the corner of her eyes again. "Nothing for you to worry about," A light giggle escaped from her throat. "Wow, I must look pathetic right now, huh?"

Registering her words, Felix frowned deeply.

Exhaling an exasperated sigh, he plopped himself down on the grass across from her. He raised his left leg high, resting his elbow on the knee while the other remained folded underneath. As he settled in, he lifted his chin and directed his sights on her.

Annette blushed, veering her gaze on her collected hands over her lap, refusing to look at him in the eye.

They sat in silence for a few minutes and then Felix spoke up.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong," He insisted, his voice becoming a mere whisper.

Annette sighed. "This has nothing to do with you," She assured, cracking a comforting smile.

Felix shook his head, and true to his words, remained where he was.

This wasn't like him at all.

Annette knew the swordsman for quite a long time, (all thanks to sharing the same house since freshman year), and knowing him, he wouldn't give a damn about anyone nor exhibit any concern. Over time, his sharp attitude had slightly waned and in a way, became at least tolerable to be around, compared to his days as a student who would challenge almost anybody who would step foot into the training grounds.

It was strange to be around him, that's for sure…but at the same time, it felt comforting.

He was quiet and observant, sharp-tongued and intimidating at times, but get passed them and turns out, he wasn't so bad as what the others may have described him to be. Yes, there were times when she did wonder what he would look like with a smile on his face, or maybe laugh if it was even possible…then again, anyone could dream.

But for now, none of that mattered.

Here he was, surprisingly offering to listen to her troubles.

And as much as she wanted to be left alone, she knew that in the end, that the best way to confront her problems was to talk it out with someone. Might as well take advantage of his small act of kindness, right?

"As you may have heard…" She began, her head still lowered and rubbing her hands together as she attempted to choose her words carefully. "Based on my song, I mean…" She hesitated, taking a deep breath in as she squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. "…I have a fear,"

"A fear?"

Annette nodded meekly. "When I was fourteen, my dad—whom you should know to be Gilbert, walked out from my life," She hesitated to remember the memory which left such an emotional scar in her heart, now buried deep and hidden away—regardless, the fear of being alone, and abandoned again, with barely anything to recall his existence, except for the wooden dolls he used to carve for her when she was a child…it terrified her.

Shaken, Annette wrapped her arms around her shivering form, "Not once did he try to contact my mother and I, and year by year, my faith in him slowly dwindled. But I was determined to see him again, and so, I worked hard…." Another memory resurfaced from the back of her mind, and this time, it was one full of joyful times for her. It was the first time she felt like she belonged somewhere, the first time she ever befriended anyone in her life—Mercedes, who brought joy and warmth in her sad, miserable life. "I met Mercie in the School of Sorcery, and got the highest marks in my grade…and with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, I was granted with an invitation to go to Garreg Mach Monastery,"

Beaming, Annette continued with her explanation. "Thankfully, Mercie was with me every step of the way and thanks to her encouragement, I was able to befriend so many people here. Dimitri, Dedue, Ashe, Ingrid, Sylvain, and even you…" She trailed off, smiling away. "I was happy. And in a way, being around you all sort of helped me, occupying my time whenever I felt distraught over my search to find my father or just needed a break from my studies…" She paused for a moment.

"Before I knew it, the year was finally over, Professor Byleth and Archbishop Rhea went missing, Dimitri got exiled and later declared to have disappeared, and then came the war and…"

She stopped again, and when she snuck a glance at Felix, was surprised to see him still there, attentively listening to her with narrowed eyes. He didn't say a word to her, nor dared to butt in or raise questions for her to answer…he was just there, a calming presence, silently jerking his chin as if to show his encouragement for her to keep talking while processing the whole thing.

But to her, it was baffling.

To think how someone like Felix, who couldn't seem to sit still at times and would walk out from a conversation to do his own business, who have the patience to spare a moment of his time to allow her to speak freely.

Shyly, Annette looked up and once their eyes made contact, she was quick to avert her head the other way. She could feel the back of her neck heating up, and her heart thumping loudly against her chest.

No, she needed to focus.

Clearing her throat, she rambled on. "Well, to summarize everything…the war, I mean…as you know by now, is about to be over and…" You and everyone else are going to leave me alone, just like what my father once did, she wanted to say to him.

But she knew she couldn't.

She wasn't brave enough to tell him the truth.

And so, she did her best to walk around the problem, and try to end their conversation as quickly as possible—hopefully, by then, he would realize how it bothersome it was to have stuck around for ten minutes, listening to her constant rambling over nothing.

Before Annette could continue, she noticed Felix coming closer to her, and she froze. Alarmed, she was ready to push him away and run…only to find herself that she didn't have the strength to do so.

By then, it was already too late. He was already close to her, inches away from her face.

Annette blushed from how intimate their positions must be—with her leaning against the bark of the tree, and him leaning closer and attempting to close the small space between them—

"After the war, you expect your friends to leave you behind,"

Annette stiffened.

"You're afraid to be alone again," He said to her, narrowing his eyes. "Is that right?"

Hearing this, Annette's bottom lip quivered. By then, it was already too late. The tears had already flown, spilling on her rosy cheeks and was hiccupping.

No doubt about it, as sharp as he was with his sword, he saw right through her.

Panicking Annette quickly hid her crimson face with her hands, only to feel an unknown force wrapping itself around her wrist. She turned her head the other way, refusing to look at him in the eye.

She needed to get out of here.

"Annette—"

"…Let go of me,"

Now that he witnessed how vulnerable she was, and how pathetic she must look to him, the first thing that crossed her mind was to run back to her dorm, barricade the doors to prevent him from getting inside, or hide somewhere—anything to get away from him. And there was no doubt that he would likely remember this, and just like the rest of her songs which he happened to listen, would be permanently engraved in the back of his mind for all eternity…and probably mock or tease her the next time he saw her.

Truly, he was the evilest of villains.

"Just…let go. Please."

For what seemed like a moment of terror for poor Annette, Felix shifted in place, determined to remain. His mouth slightly parted, hoping for the words trapped in his throat to somewhat escape…but it wasn't working.

While she was consumed with her thoughts, Felix kept his stare directed on her, his once stoic expression gradually transitioning to reflect his true colors, a hint of worry and guilt.

Again, Felix called out her name.

For a split second, Annette couldn't help but be awestruck by how wonderful her name naturally flowed out from his mouth, quite similar to the made-up lyrics she would produce for one of her silly songs.

For the third time, Felix addressed her.

And when Annette lowered her defenses, from the corner of her eye, she noticed him raising his other arm, almost as if he was reaching out toward her. At this, Annette immediately closed her eyes, holding her breath in and doing her best to remain still.

Maybe if she did so, he would leave her alone, right?

But Felix had something else in mind.

Ever so gently, he took a loose strand of her hair and allowed it to twirl around his finger, his expression softening as he never once left his gaze off of her. And when he tucked her hair behind her ear, he made his move.

Though he had let go of her wrist, almost reluctantly—he surprised her again by leaning his head forward. Upon the contact of his lips grazing the skin of the side of her left eye, Annette kept quiet; her eyes still closed shut. As he was doing this, he brought a thumb over to stroke her right cheek, making Annette shiver from the unintentional contact. Running his fingers through her reddened cheeks, he started to do the same procedure with the other eye.

Furrowing her eyebrows, she put the pieces together before freezing in disbelief.

He was kissing away her tears.

Fluttering her eyes halfway, Annette got a better angle of the swordsman. Maybe she was imagining it, but she could have sworn that for a split second, Felix was lowering his chin a bit further, and from her guess; was possibly attempting to kiss her on the lips.

"…I'm not going to leave you,"

Her heart stopped beating.

"W-what did you say—"

"You heard me," Felix stressed, his voice becoming more of a whisper. "I won't repeat myself," Slowly, he motioned his head towards her, letting his temple to touch hers as he closed his eyes, sharply inhaling the fragrance of cinnamon sprinkled in her hair. "So, you better get used to it,"

Her blush deepened. "…Is that an order?"

Felix lightly snorted. "Call it what you will,"

Withdrawing back, he lowered his head to reach the same eye level as her and for the second time, pressed their foreheads together. He pursed his lips, too fixated on her as he searched for any sign—a crinkle of an eyebrow, a pouty bottom lip, or the blinking of eyes—anything that would help him try to guess what she was currently feeling. And when she didn't seem to have the heart to express herself, all he could do was release another one of his measured sighs.

"…Do you mean that?" Annette sniffed, "About you not leaving me?"

Felix allowed a small trace of a smile to materialize across his thin lips. The color of crimson started to spread on his cheeks, and to the tips of his ears. Out of curiosity, he slightly tipped his head a bit downward, locking eyes with her.

Just like him, her face was completely red.

She stared at him, with those big, puffy eyes full of innocence and hope.

"If that's what it takes to see you smile again," He began, his voice tickling in her ear. "Then so be it,"

Annette widened her eyes and quickly, she averted her sights back to him. She stared at him for a moment, processing over his words in her head. This has to be a dream, right?

"I don't believe you," She murmured, feeling doubtful of his statement. "Where's the proof?"

Felix blinked. "…Proof?"

Annette nodded firmly. "That's right," She confirmed, growing confident. "Prove to me that you won't leave…" As she delivered those words, she narrowed her eyes. "Unless you don't have one,"

Felix turned quiet. Contemplating his thoughts, the color of crimson spread across his cheeks. "…I-I do," He stammered, the pitch of his voice a bit higher.

"Then what is it?" Annette asked curiously, tilting the side of her head. "Where's the proof?"

"I don't have it with me right now,"

Wait…what?

"If you could wait after the war," He went on, softening his gaze. "There's something I'd like to ask of you,"

Annette blushed harder, already having an idea of what he might be implying. "A-and what would that be?" And when she looked up to face him, she was rewarded with a teasing grin.

To her dismay, Felix shook his head. "Not telling,"

While Annette puffed her cheeks and looked the other way, Felix seized the chance to make another move. Stretching his free hand outward, ever so lightly, he caressed her left cheek, causing the latter to stiffen again on the spot. As he dared to incline his head a bit more, he couldn't help but grin when he caught her closing her eyes again, leaning in a bit as if anticipating for something to happen.

Taking notice of this, Felix removed his hand from her cheek, bringing his fingers over her face a little, and letting out a snicker when he managed to pinch the bridge of her nose.

Annette squeaked, her eyes fluttering open again. Withdrawing back, she slapped away his hand and sent him a glare.

"W-what was that for?" She suddenly cried, blushing furiously.

Felix shrugged, then proceeded to scoot a bit closer to her.

Seeing this, Annette swallowed her saliva thickly. Still, she remained where she was, bringing her hands close to her chest and keeping a watchful eye on the latter as he closed the distance between them.

At first, she assumed that he was going to join her under the shade of the tree, possibly wrap one of his arms around her waist, and lay his head on her shoulder.

But of course, the swordsman was unpredictable.

And to her shock, he settled on resting his head on her lap, with his back against the ground, his hands folded over his chest and the short end of his ponytail gently cascaded along her thigh, tickling her.

Once he managed to get into a comfortable position, Felix slightly craned his head upwards to face her. Though the sunlight was blinding his vision, she was there, so crystal clear—eyes shimmering with interest, her fiery hair blowing beautifully in the wind.

"What are you doing?" She asked, with a nervous smile.

"Getting the best seat," He tells her flatly, closing his eyes.

Annette blushed at his choice of words. "Someone might see us," She points out, her voice veiled with concern. "Aren't you worried at all? What if Sylvain or Dimitri—"

"Don't care," Felix murmured, close to drifting off to sleep. "…Let them see,"

Annette heard this and softly smiled. She placed a gloved hand over his hair, stroking it a few times. In response, Felix sank his head deeper into her lap, taking a deep breath in. At long last, he was at peace.

"You won't leave me, right?" Annette asked out of the blue, this time in good humor.

Felix shook his head. "I won't," He affirmed to her.

"How long would you stay then?"

"As long as you want it to be," He assures, the deliverance of his voice growing faint as he was close to drifting off to sleep.

Ignoring the burning sensation on her cheeks, Annette retained her smile. "Felix?"

When she didn't receive a proper reply, she tipped her head. "Felix?' And poked his slightly rosy cheek.

No response.

Annette rolled her eyes.

Even so, she couldn't help but welcome the blossoming warmth inside of her—the thought that Felix, of all people, would suddenly declare that he wanted to be with her. Regardless of their future and how it remained uncertain, his words were enough to spark a glimmer of hope and opened a door to a world of infinite possibilities.

The war was ongoing, and there were still many battles to partake and overcome. Pain and suffering were certain to come in the next coming weeks and yet...

Glancing back at the sleeping swordsman, Annette smiled as she watched his chest gradually rising and then falling every few seconds, and when she dared to sneak a peek at what he might look like up close, her grin greatly lengthened, satisfied with the breathtaking view that was exclusively made for her—of his beautiful face, exhibiting no trace of mockery nor ache.

"…I'm not going to leave you,"

Recalling his declaration, Annette looked back to check up on the dark-haired man one last time. While her right hand continued to gently stroke his hair, she brought her other one to where his hands were, placing it on top of his. Feeling bold, she slowly dipped her chin to softly peck him on the forehead.

"I won't leave you either," She said in a careless whisper, closing her eyes as she carefully pressed their foreheads together, "Not now, not ever,"

In the meantime, Annette knew where she belonged, and where she wanted to be—right here, under the shade of the trees, relishing what the rest of the day had to offer, together with the man she dearly loved.

* * *

**Ending card: their other classmates and housemates, Professor Byleth included, are watching from the windows of the dining hall, with smiles on their faces.**

**I did my best to capture the serene atmosphere lunachaili evoked and translate it on paper (sorry if it didn't turn out well), and for extra measure, expanded on felix/annette's supports that would later imply their endcard after the game.**

**And you've reached the end of the fanfic!**  
**Thank you so much for taking the time to read! If you like, feel free to comment below/kudos!**

**Be sure to also check out lunachaili's fanfic, 'no more tomorrow' as well as her podfic here on the A03 community! (please show your appreciation to her works if you can!)**

**Lastly, I would like to let everyone know that we are currently having a poll on twitter deciding on the official shipping name for felix/annette. Feel free to go ahead and vote (if any of you readers have twitter, simply visit my profile- kroissant4 and on the first post would be the poll)-and so far, it looks like Crumbs and Yums is winning!**

**That's all for now!**  
**I'll be back soon with more great content of this shipping, and maybe even a surprise if I'm lucky to get a spare time to write!**

**As always, have a wonderful day!**


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